The Asteroid Seen Before It Struck
Astronomers spotted a small asteroid just eight hours before it hit Earth, and then found its pieces in the Kalahari.
What was reported
On 2 June 2018, the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona spotted a small asteroid heading for Earth, about 2 metres across. Just eight hours later, it entered the atmosphere over southern Africa and exploded as a brilliant fireball over Botswana, caught on a security camera.
It was only the third time in history that an asteroid had been seen in space before striking Earth.
Explanations offered
Scientists calculated where fragments should have landed, and a team from Botswana, South Africa, Finland and the United States searched the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. On the fifth day, they found the first of 23 meteorites. Studies suggest the asteroid came from Vesta, one of the largest bodies in the asteroid belt.
- When
- 2 June 2018
- Where
- Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana
- Witnesses
- Astronomers; a security camera; meteorite searchers
- Status
- Confirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.